This Iowa Ice Cream Museum Just Might Be The Sweetest Place On Earth
By Ben Jones|Published June 02, 2021
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Ben Jones
Author
Ben Jones is at heart an adventurer who delights in inspiring others. A former reporter and photojournalist, he explored towns large and small as a Wisconsin correspondent for USA Today. He later became a lead photographer and senior copywriter for an award-winning destination marketing agency, before founding Boldland Creative, a company that produces photography, video, and other content for travel destinations. Jones has completed photography and content projects in more than 15 states and when he’s not looking through a camera or at his Macbook you’ll find him exploring the world’s lakes and forests.
There’s a special place in Iowa that’s entertaining and educating visitors, one scoop at a time. Once known as the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor, the Wells Visitor Center & Ice Cream Parlor offers an interactive experience that’s like no other. Visitors get a chance to learn why Le Mars became the center of the ice cream universe and get a behind-the-scenes look at the massive ice cream operation that’s underway in this town. Best of all, you get to taste some of the product!
Here’s a sneak peek at the Wells Visitor Center & Ice Cream Parlor.
The center is located in a town that's famous for its delicious ice cream. The town makes more ice cream than any place on earth and in 1994 Le Mars was named the Ice Cream Capital of the World!
Wells Enterprises is the largest family owned and managed ice cream manufacturer in the United States. It was founded back in 1913 and at the museum you can learn about the history and growth of the company.
An interactive virtual production line explains how the Wells manufacturing facilities produce over 150 million gallons of ice cream per year. That's about 4.8 billion scoops!
You can experience virtual production lines, interact with displays to learn more about the ice cream making process, and take in a theater show on the story of Wells.
There's a gift shop at the center where you can pick up something to remember your time in Le Mars. The store sells t-shirts, key chains, giant ice cream cones, holiday ornaments and more.
But whatever you do, make sure to enjoy some ice cream! You can buy it on site and there are 40 flavors to choose from, including many that are only sold here, like Huckleberry and Mocha Almond Fudge. The on shop also sells banana splits, old-fashioned ice cream sodas, shakes and sundaes.